Awards

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

For nearly two decades, Scott Jurek has been a dominant force — and darling — in the grueling and growing sport of ultrarunning. In 1999, as a complete unknown, he took the lead of the Western States Endurance Run, a 100-mile traverse over the old Gold Rush trails of the California Sierra Nevada. He won that race seven years in a row, setting a course record along the way. Twice he won the Badwater Ultramarathon, a 135-mile "jaunt" through Death Valley. He triumphed in the 153-mile Spartathlon in Greece three times. And he was one of the elite runners who traveled to Mexico to run with the Tarahumara Indians, as profiled in the runaway bestseller Born to Run. His accomplishments are nothing short of extraordinary, but that he has achieved all of this on a plant-based diet makes his story all the more so.

In Eat and Run, Scott Jurek opens up about his life and career — as an elite athlete and a vegan — and inspires runners at every level. From his Midwestern childhood hunting, fishing, and cooking for his meat-and-potatoes family, to his early beginnings in running (he hated it), to his slow transition to ultrarunning and veganism, to his world-spanning, record-breaking races — Scotts story shows the power of an iron will and blows apart all the stereotypes of what athletes should eat to fuel optimal performance. Chock full of incredible, on-the-brink stories of endurance and competition as well as fascinating science and accessible practical advice — including his own favorite plant-based recipes — Eat and Run will motivate everyone to "go the distance," whether that means getting out for that first run, expanding their food horizons, or simply exploring the limits of their own potential.

Review:

"When celebrated runner Jurek, assisted by journalist Steve Friedman, begins his road to wellness and triumph in his book, he speaks candidly about the tortuous toll put on the human body by ultra-runners, namely cramps, black toenails, chaffing, and dehydration. Following a sickly Midwestern childhood and a mother diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, Jurek eventually transitions from skiing to long-distance running, entering his first marathon at age 20, weaning himself off of hypertension meds by switching from a protein diet to a vegan one. 'What we eat is a matter of life and death,' the athlete writes; 'food is who we are.' His achievements prove Jurek is doing something right, winning the 100-mile Western States Endurance run seven times, the 135-mile Badwater Ultra, the 153-mile Spartathlon in Greece, and setting an American record for running the most number of miles in a day. Blended with the pro running tips and marathons, Jurek serves up some of his original food recipes to power up the novice or the professional athlete on his way to the finish line in this life-changing track primer. Accessible and riveting, Jurek's book makes the task of self-transformation look effortless, from illness to wellness, from reluctance to triumph, yet this hard-fought journey to consciousness is not a small feat. (June)" Publishers Weekly Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Review:

"What a triumph — both Scott Jurek's life and this one-of-a-kind book. I've seen Scott in action as he defies unimaginable challenges, and thanks to this breathtakingly personal account, I finally understand how he does it. He rebuilt himself literally from the inside out, and the result is a man — and a story — unlike any other." Christopher McDougall, bestselling author of Born to Run

Review:

"The surprise here isn't that Scott Jurek knows a lot about nutrition — I especially love his "Holy Moly Guacamole" recipe. Or that he ran prodigious mileage to prepare for his many ultramarathon victories. More impressively, we discover that Jurek studied many of the great philosophers, and used their lessons to focus his running. In pursuing the mental side of endurance, Jurek uncovers the most important secrets any runner can learn." Amby Burfoot, winner of the 1968 Boston Marathon and author of The Runners Guide to the Meaning of Life

Review:

"This is the inspiring story of an inspired man. Scott Jurek's phenomenal success as an ultramarathoner demonstrates that meat and other animal foods are not necessary for optimum health, strength, and endurance." Andrew Weil, M.D. author of Spontaneous Happiness and 8 Weeks to Optimum Health

Synopsis:

Ultrarunner and star of Born to Run, Scott Jurek's Eat and Run, an inspiring memoir of Jurek's remarkable running career, fueled, surprisingly, by an entirely plant-based diet.

About the Author

Scott Jurek is a world-renowned ultramarathon runner who trains and races on a vegan diet. He has prominently appeared in two New York Times bestsellers, Born to Run and The 4-Hour Body and has been featured in The New York Times, CNN, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal,ESPN Magazine, Outside, Mens Journal, Runners World, Yoga Journal, Veg News, and many other media. Known and admired for his earth-conscious lifestyle, Scott is also a highly sought after motivational speaker, physical therapist, coach and chef. He has delivered talks to numerous organizations, including Microsoft, Starbucks, and Patagonia.

Steve Friedman's stories have been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Esquire, GQ, The Best of Outside, The Best American Travel Writing and, six times, The Best American Sports Writing. He is the author of Lost on Treasure Island, Driving Lessons, and The Gentleman's Guide to Life, and co-author of The New York Times Best Seller, Loose Balls. A St. Louis native and graduate of Stanford University, Friedman lives in New York City, where he is Writer at Large for the Rodale Sports Group.

What Our Readers Are Saying

Average customer rating based on 5 comments:

Veg Runner, January 30, 2013 (view all comments by Veg Runner)
Loved this book. Great motivational read even if you're not a runner (or a vegan). He includes great recipes at the end of every chapter. Long run pizza bread, minnesota chili, and xocolate energy ball recipes are more than worth the price of the book to me!

Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No(12 of 31 readers found this comment helpful)

pensivepumpkin, January 1, 2013 (view all comments by pensivepumpkin)
I love this book. Love. Jurek has such an interesting personal story to me, and his attitude is legendary. Even more than that, I love the way his journey toward Veganism is portrayed not as some sort of epiphany or personal quest, but as an evolution. I've wanted to incorporate some of these ideas into my nutrition plan and didn't really know how. This work taught me that, and I've lost ten pounds of fat already since my body is no longer desperate for nutrients. Definite bonus. Beautiful book, part memoir, part training plan (yes, I've added some of his routes to my running bucket list) and even part cookbook given that there are recipes included.

Definitely a book you can read again. My favorite read for 2012.

Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No(1 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)

"Publishers Weekly Review"
by Publishers Weekly,
"When celebrated runner Jurek, assisted by journalist Steve Friedman, begins his road to wellness and triumph in his book, he speaks candidly about the tortuous toll put on the human body by ultra-runners, namely cramps, black toenails, chaffing, and dehydration. Following a sickly Midwestern childhood and a mother diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, Jurek eventually transitions from skiing to long-distance running, entering his first marathon at age 20, weaning himself off of hypertension meds by switching from a protein diet to a vegan one. 'What we eat is a matter of life and death,' the athlete writes; 'food is who we are.' His achievements prove Jurek is doing something right, winning the 100-mile Western States Endurance run seven times, the 135-mile Badwater Ultra, the 153-mile Spartathlon in Greece, and setting an American record for running the most number of miles in a day. Blended with the pro running tips and marathons, Jurek serves up some of his original food recipes to power up the novice or the professional athlete on his way to the finish line in this life-changing track primer. Accessible and riveting, Jurek's book makes the task of self-transformation look effortless, from illness to wellness, from reluctance to triumph, yet this hard-fought journey to consciousness is not a small feat. (June)" Publishers Weekly Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

"Review"
by Christopher McDougall, bestselling author of Born to Run,
"What a triumph — both Scott Jurek's life and this one-of-a-kind book. I've seen Scott in action as he defies unimaginable challenges, and thanks to this breathtakingly personal account, I finally understand how he does it. He rebuilt himself literally from the inside out, and the result is a man — and a story — unlike any other."

"Review"
by ,
"The surprise here isn't that Scott Jurek knows a lot about nutrition — I especially love his "Holy Moly Guacamole" recipe. Or that he ran prodigious mileage to prepare for his many ultramarathon victories. More impressively, we discover that Jurek studied many of the great philosophers, and used their lessons to focus his running. In pursuing the mental side of endurance, Jurek uncovers the most important secrets any runner can learn." Amby Burfoot, winner of the 1968 Boston Marathon and author of The Runners Guide to the Meaning of Life

"Review"
by Andrew Weil, M.D. author of Spontaneous Happiness and 8 Weeks to Optimum Health,
"This is the inspiring story of an inspired man. Scott Jurek's phenomenal success as an ultramarathoner demonstrates that meat and other animal foods are not necessary for optimum health, strength, and endurance."

"Synopsis"
by Firebrand,
Ultrarunner and star of Born to Run, Scott Jurek's Eat and Run, an inspiring memoir of Jurek's remarkable running career, fueled, surprisingly, by an entirely plant-based diet.

Powell's City of Books is an independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon, that fills a whole city block with more than a million new, used, and out of print books. Shop those shelves — plus literally millions more books, DVDs, and gifts — here at Powells.com.